The Circuit Paul Ricard, in Le Castellet, an hour drive away from Marseille, France, is a world-class racing complex hosting top-notch motorsports competitions since 1969, which include the French Grand Prix of Formula 1, the MotoGP, the 6 Hours of Castellet, and many others. Blessed with a Mediterranean climate, ideal for vineyards and living the good life, the Circuit Paul Ricard is a perfect place for racing year-round, with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The circuit features two independent tracks: a 1.8-km (1.1 miles) circuit and a 3.8-km (2.36 miles) circuit, which combine into the default 5.8-km (3.6 millas) Full Circuit. The complex also includes a dynamic driving center, a 4WD track, and a Go Karting course, serving the needs of all types of motorsports fans.
The average speed in the Circuit Paul Ricard can be as high as 160 km/h (100 mph) when using the Mistral Straight in its full length of 1.8 km (1.1 mi). Adding the Chicane Nord (Chicane North) limits the average speed of the circuit to 138 km/h (86 mph). The Circuit Paul Ricard is famous for its ample, high-technology, blue-striped runoff areas made of an asphalt-tungsten compound designed to improve braking and avoid fatal crashes. One of the world's fastest turns is Signes, right after Mistral Straight, where high-performance vehicles go thundering at 290 km/h (180 mph).
An alternative layout that includes a chicane near the middle of Mistral straightaway is the 1C-V2, which brings a substantial speed reduction, from 100 mph of the default configuration to 86 mph, to enhance the safety aspects of the circuit and elevating the technical challenge it represents for drivers. The average lap time is for this layout is 2:31.5.
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